From Prehistory to a Prime Minister

Stonehammer encompasses multiple locations, including Saint John — established in 1785 and still an important port, if no longer a world-famous shipbuilding centre. After the roughly twenty-block city centre, known as Uptown, burned to the ground in 1877, wealthy businessmen outdid each other in reconstruction efforts that resulted in streets lined with impressive brick and stone buildings, often adorned with flourishes such as marble pillars and ornate carvings. Former headquarters of banks and maritime insurance companies now house cafés, art galleries, and even an axe-throwing club on what was once known as the Wall Street of Saint John.

A closer look reveals grotesques — similar to gargoyles, but without the waterspouts — nestled into nooks and leering over ledges. Many were carved by one artisan, James McAvity, who was not above lampooning people he disliked or taking a dig at clients, as with the devilish face spitting coins above the entrance to a former bank.

From the Saint John City Market — established in 1876 and one of the longest-operating markets in Canada — to the Three Sisters Lamp, with its red lights to guide ships into the harbour, and Canada’s oldest public high school (established in 1805), there’s a discovery every few paces. Rather than being preserved as a twee version of the past, Uptown is both lively and down-to-earth.

Leaving Saint John behind is made easier by what lies ahead along the Fundy Trail Parkway, which starts at the beautiful village of St. Martins, about forty-five minutes up the shore. The parkway is only about thirty kilometres long and is designed to be driven at an easy pace. People in a hurry take other routes, leaving this one for those who are looking to relax and to pull off frequently to enjoy stunning vistas, beaches, waterfalls, hikes, and more in parkland unmarred by commercial development.

But in the region where he was born Bennett is still celebrated, not just as a great son of New Brunswick but also for his philanthropy and political vision. As the museum’s managing director Janet Clouston notes, Bennett is too often remembered as indecisive, or blamed for the Great Depression without receiving enough credit for the nation-building projects he oversaw, including the creation of the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (forerunner of the CBC), the Bank of Canada, and the Canadian Wheat Board. She says he gave away something like eighty million dollars during his lifetime, sending his own money to desperate citizens who wrote pleading for the prime minister’s help.

What I’ve learned at the Albert County Museum gives me a new perspective on the landscape as I make the return trip. This time I know what I’m looking at when I see the low ridges running through the grasslands beside the water. Known as aboiteaux, these ingenious diking systems were created by Acadian settlers to irrigate their crops and to limit the impact of the world’s highest tides on their land — land the English forced them to leave, starting in 1755.

EAT AND DRINK: Uptown Saint John is packed with restaurants, pubs, and specialty shops. Recommended: Java Moose, East Coast Bistro, Bella’s Ice Cream, Picaroon’s General Store microbrewery, and Pomodori Pizza. Several places in the village of St. Martins offer lobster rolls and other seafood, while Kelly’s Bake Shop in Alma is renowned for its sticky buns.

STAY: Make a cabin at Fundy Highlands Motel and Chalets your base for exploring the national park and along the Fundy shoreline. Pick up seafood fresh off the boat in nearby Alma; depending on when you arrive, those boats might be floating on the world’s highest tides or sitting on the mud.

EXPLORE: Arrive in St. Martins at low tide to check out the sea caves, then head off on the gorgeous Fundy Trail Parkway, open mid-May to late October. Bring a lunch to enjoy at a stop along the way, and try as many of the short hikes as you have time for, especially to Walton Glen Gorge.